Results 17,481-17,500 of 20,459 for speaker:Frances Fitzgerald

Confidence in Government: Motion (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I support the motion. We are here because Sinn Féin is exploiting a serious issue for political gain. It quite clearly has an à la carteapproach to whistleblowers. Ask the former Senator Máiría Cahill. When most people and parties in this House attempted to form a Government last year, Sinn Féin sat it out. I am honoured to serve as Minister for Justice and...

Confidence in Government: Motion (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Hear, hear.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Legal Services Regulation (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The setting-up of the Legal Services Regulatory Authority has been under way since 19 July 2016 when, under S.I. No. 383 of 2016, I commenced those provisions of Part 1 and Part 2 of the Legal Services Regulation Act 2015 as necessary to get the new Authority up and running, particularly in terms of its membership and appointment. On 29 September 2016, I signed the Order appointing 1 October...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Court Judgments (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I wish to inform the Deputy that the Irish Prison Service has provided the following information: Warrant Overall Length Grp Year 2013 Year 2014 Year 2015 Less than 1 week 3,568 3,856 4,230 1 week to less than a month 3,959 4,570 5,211 1 month to less than 3 months 413 395 306 3 months to less than 6 months 180 157 134 6 months to less than 12 months 1 1 1 12 months to less than 24...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Court Judgments (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy may be aware, under the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998, management of the courts is the responsibility of the Courts Service which is independent in exercising its functions, which include the provision of information on the courts system. However, in order to be of assistance to the Deputy, I have had inquiries made and the Courts Service has informed me that...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Child Abuse (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Deputy will appreciate that the development of the national service model which she refers to is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs. However, to be of assistance to the Deputy, I have made enquiries with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and am advised that Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, is currently leading a national, multiagency...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Youth Justice Strategy (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Annual Reports of the Committee appointed to monitor the effectiveness of the statutory Diversion Programme provide an overview of youth crime in the particular year in question. As such, the reports include details of, inter alia, the number of incidents and individual children and young people referred to the Diversion Programme and the outcomes of such referrals, including a...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Probation and Welfare Service (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Probation Service operates two graffiti removal projects as part of the Community Service Scheme. One project is based in Dublin and one in Cork. The Probation Service does not have a dedicated graffiti removal project budget. The funding for the graffiti projects is included in the overall community service budget which for 2017 is €2.897 million.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Residency Permits (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am informed by the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department that the person concerned has submitted an application for De Facto Partner Permission which was received on 30 January 2017. This office is currently awaiting further documentation to enable the application to be considered. Queries in relation to the status of individual immigration cases may be...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Garda Deployment (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: The Deputy will appreciate that I have no direct role in the determination of whether Garda security is required. This is an operational matter for An Garda Síochána.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Prison Service (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: It is my intention to agree to the extension of the remit of the existing Ombudsman to prisons. This is in line with the report of the Inspector of Prisons, R.I.P., on the prisoner complaints system “Review, Evaluation and Analysis of the Operation of the present Irish Prison Service Complaints Procedure”.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Court Accommodation Refurbishment (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I wish to refer the Deputy to reply given to Parliamentary Question no. 120 of 14 February 2017 from Deputy Mattie McGrath, the text of which is as follows: ''As the Deputy will be aware, under the provisions of the Courts Service Act 1998, management of the courts, including the provision of accommodation for court sittings, is the responsibility of the Courts Service which is independent in...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Garda Investigations (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I have received a copy of the correspondence referred to and I am very conscious of the seriousness of the matters which have been raised in this case. I am also mindful of the considerable distress experienced by the person in question over an extended period. I understand that the initial complaint related to a physical assault which occurred in 2006, and for which a person was charged...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Ministerial Travel (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I wish to inform the Deputy that it has not been possible to provide the information required in the time available. The information is currently being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as it is to hand.

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Direct Provision System (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Section 16(3)(b) of the International Protection Act 2015, provides that applicants for international protection shall not seek, enter or be in employment or engage for gain in any business, trade or profession during the period before the final determination of their application. There is an effective visa and immigration system in place for those who wish to lawfully migrate to the...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service Staff (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Due to the nature of their work, a number of divisions within the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) of my Department receive regular cultural awareness training, which encompasses training on how to sensitively deal with persons in the protection process who may have suffered various types of degrading treatment. Extensive training is provided to staff in the...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Immigration Controls (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Information supplied by the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) in relation to queue times for arriving passengers at Dublin Airport shows that over 90% of all travellers are processed through immigration control in a matter of minutes with the figures being even higher for passengers of EU nationalities. This is in the context of passenger numbers at Dublin Airport reaching record levels last...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Garda Resources (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of resources, including personnel, among the various Garda Divisions and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter. I am assured by the Garda Commissioner that the allocation of Gardaí is continually monitored and reviewed taking into account all relevant factors including crime trends,...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Human Trafficking (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: Ireland endeavours to achieve best practice in its victim-centred approach to combating human trafficking and provides a wide range of services to victims of trafficking. These include accommodation (where necessary), medical care and planning, psychological assistance, material assistance, legal aid and advice, security advice, vocational training and education. The Government...

Written Answers — Department of An Taoiseach: Prisoner Releases (15 Feb 2017)

Frances Fitzgerald: I am informed by the Irish Prison Service that the person in question is serving a sentence of life imprisonment. Having served 15 years in prison, he was released in 2007 in the context of a carefully structured and tightly controlled temporary release programme to live in the community under the supervision of the Probation Service, while subject to strict conditions and a schedule of...